The European Council on Monday said it supported the European Union’s chemicals sustainability strategy, which the European Commission began to adopt in October 2020. The strategy includes several actions such as amendments to streamline EU chemicals legislation, replacing and reducing substances of concern, and phasing out non-essential uses of the most harmful chemicals. The chemicals strategy is a key part of the EU’s carbon-neutral ambition and its post-pandemic recovery plan.
According to the council, several legislations need to be amended to achieve the objectives under the EU chemicals strategy for sustainability. The legislations include Classification, Labeling, and Packaging (CLP) regulations and the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation, and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH). However, the council noted that the targeted amendments should not weaken protection accomplished under those legislations. The council also said it would endorse the EU to promote its chemicals sustainability strategy as the world’s “golden standard.”
Separately, the German chemical industry group (Verband der Chemischen Industrie - VCI) has raised concerns over the impacts of the new sustainability strategy on the chemical and pharmaceutical industry chain. According to VCI, the strategy is heavily based on the hazardous properties of substances and does not take enough account of the fact that those hazardous chemicals could be handled safely.
